Trial of Essential Oils to Improve Sleep for Patients in Cardiac Rehabilitation

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference between the sleep quality of patients who inhaled placebo and those who inhaled an aroma comprising a mixture of Lavandula x intermedia (Lavandin Super), Citrus bergamia (bergamot), and Cananga odorata (ylang ylang). Design: This was a randomized, double-blind crossover study, which compared a treatment with placebo. Settings/location: The study was conducted in an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation unit located in an urban, private nonprofit hospital in north Texas. Subjects: Participants included 42 adult patients referred to the rehabilitation service following hospitalizations by local cardiologists. Interventions: Cotton balls infused with a combination of lavender, bergamot, and ylang ylang or placebo were placed at subjects' bedsides for five nights. After a washout period, subjects crossed over to the other condition for five nights. Outcome measures: Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) after treatment and placebo periods. Lower PSQI scores indicate better sleep quality. Results: The mean PSQI global score was statistically significantly lower when receiving the intervention oil (mean = 4.9) than the mean PSQI global score when receiving placebo (mean = 8). Duration of sleep and the time it took to fall asleep were no different between treatment groups, but patient-reported sleep quality was significantly better when participants were exposed to essential oils (w 2 = 4.5, p = 0.03) than when exposed to placebo. Although sleep efficiency (time asleep while lying in bed) was perceived as the same under both conditions, participants reported that they had to get up to use the bathroom significantly less often when exposed to the treatment than when exposed to placebo (t =-2.04, p = 0.05; Wilcoxon p = 0.05). Participants also reported that they had trouble sleeping because they felt too cold, which occurred significantly less often when exposed to the treatment than when exposed to placebo (t =-2.03, p = 0.05; Wilcoxon p = 0.05). Conclusions: Sleep quality of participants receiving intervention oils was significantly better than the sleep quality of participants receiving the placebo oil. Low-cost, nontraditional aromatherapy treatment is potentially effective for improving sleep quality among cardiac rehabilitation patients.

Medicinal Plants for Insomnia Related to Anxiety: An Updated Review

“…The results were positive, with a reduction in the total median scores of the PSQI and MENQOL for the aromatherapy group [150]. A combination of lavandin super, bergamot, and ylang-ylang was tested for its effects on the sleep quality of patients in cardiac rehabilitation and found to have significant positive results in the PSQI [151]. Another study compared the effect of lavender and peppermint essential oils (by inhalation) on the sleep quality of cancer patients; the mean PSQI scores were lower in the lavender and peppermint groups than in the controls, but no differences between the effects of the individual essential oils were observed [152].…”

The peel essential oil composition of bergamot fruit (Citrus bergamia, Risso) of Reggio Calabria (Italy): a review.

“…The applications of the bergamot peel essential oil are mainly in perfumery, medicine, cosmetics manufacture and food flavouring. Bergamot peel essential oil has been recognised for its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-proliferative properties (Navarra et al, 2015b), neuroprotective effect as it reduces neuronal damage caused in vitro by excitotoxic stimuli (Corasaniti et al, 2007), anticancer activity on neuroblastoma cells (Celia et al, 2013;Navarra et al, 2015a), antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi and larvae (Cirmi et al, 2016), neurobiological effects mainly for oxygenated compounds such as linalool and linalyl acetate (Bagetta et al, 2010), in aromatherapy is used to minimise the symptoms of cancer pain (Forlot and Pevet, 2012) moreover a mixture of essential oils inhaled before sleeping was found to have a beneficial effect for patients in cardiac rehabilitation (McDonnell and Newcomb, 2019).…”

Kalp Yetersizliği Hastalarında Uyku Sorunları ve Nonfarmakolojik Tedavi Yöntemleri

“…Uygulaması kolay ve etkin olan, bireye ekonomik yük getirmeyen nonfarmakolojik yöntemlerin uyku sorunlarını azaltmada etkili olabileceğini gösteren kanıtlar bulunmaktadır. [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46] KY olan hastalarda nonfarmakolojik yöntemlerin uyku kalitesine etkisini inceleyen çalışmaların özellikleri tablo 1'de verilmiştir. [38] destekleyici eğitim [38] Çevrenin düzenlenmesi: Gürültü ve ışık gibi faktörleri ortadan kaldırarak hasta birey için dinlendirici bir ortam hazırlamak ve çevre düzenini sağlamak, uyku ve diğer temel fizyolojik gereksinimlerinin yerine getirilmesine yardımcı olmak hemşirelerin temel görevlerinden biridir.…”

“…Çalışma sonunda müdahale grubundaki hastaların uyku kalitesinin plasebo grubundan daha iyi olduğu tespit edilmiştir. [43] Akupresör: Vücudun kendi kendine iyileştirici yeteneklerini harekete geçiren önemli şifa noktalarına basmak için parmak kullanılarak yapılan bir iyileştirme sanatıdır. Terapötik masajın bir alt tipi olarak sınıflandırılan akupresörün ana felsefesi evrende var olan enerji akışları arasında birlik, denge ve uyuma dayanmaktadır.…”